Buttermilk Pie with Blackberry and Blueberry Sauce

This pie so delicious. The first time I made it was after a few beers after a half-marathon in May. Apparently a few drinks after running 13 miles makes for good pies. One warning on the pie, it's very rich. You can use a pre-made graham cracker crust or make your own. I opted for the latter. The pie and sauce recipe comes from Martha Stewart's Annual Recipes 2004. The graham cracker crust recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.

Graham Cracker Crust

1/3 cup butter or margarine (I use butter)

1/4 cup sugar

18 finely crushed graham crackers (or 1 1/4 cups of crumbs)

Preheat the oven to 375F (this isn't necessary if you want to chill the crust for an hour). Melt the butter or margarine. Stir in the sugar and then add the crushed graham crackers. Toss to mix well. Spread the mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie plate. Press onto bottom and sides to form a firm, even crust. You can either chill about 1 hour until firm. Or, bake in the oven heated to 375F for 4 to 5 minutes.

Buttermilk Pie

3 cups buttermilk (I use lowfat buttermilk)

1 stick butter, melted and cooled

8 large egg yolks

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (I used it once and omitted it the second time, both variations work)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Whisk buttermilk, butter, egg yolks, and vanilla in a medium size bowl. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture. If you opted to use the lemon zest, whisk it in the mixture.

2. Pour into pie shell, bake until the center is just set (about 1 hour and 10 minutes). Let it cool and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Blackberry and Blueberry Sauce

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best, but the bottled works as well)

2 pints fresh blueberries

12 ounces fresh blackberries

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1. Stir together sugar, lemon juice, and half of the berries. Bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer until blueberries burst and release their juices (about 3 minutes).

2. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 1 teaspoon of cold water; stir into sauce. Simmer, stirring until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute more. Remove from heat; stir in the remaining berries. Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl. Refrigerate until chilled; stir gently before serving.